FEEDBACK ARTICLE – RON CAPPS: THINGS I MISS

Being a Ron Capps fan, I found that article very interesting.  A nice change from the usual 'interviews'. I would have liked to have seen the things he misses!  My first intro to Drag Racing was in England when I met Peter, now my husband of 35 yrs.  We used to go to the local track (Santa Pod Raceway, still running), and sleep in the back of
a 1957 Chevy wagon.  We watched the first side by side six-second Top Fuel run (Clive Skilton vs Dennis Priddle) standing on the roof of the car. The vibration and noise was incredible.  Love the nostalgic stuff, especially those 'altereds'.

Have now lived in Arizona for 16 years - best move we made.  Our one 'must go' each year is the California Hot Rod Reunion at Bakersfield (we are members of the 1320, so it is also a great get-together for the group).   Have seen Ron there a couple of times driving his nostalgic funny car - always a pleasure to see and talk to him. - Yvonne Broadribb

FEEDBACK ARTICLE – RON CAPPS: THINGS I MISS

Being a Ron Capps fan, I found that article very interesting.  A nice change from the usual 'interviews'. I would have liked to have seen the things he misses!  My first intro to Drag Racing was in England when I met Peter, now my husband of 35 yrs.  We used to go to the local track (Santa Pod Raceway, still running), and sleep in the back of
a 1957 Chevy wagon.  We watched the first side by side six-second Top Fuel run (Clive Skilton vs Dennis Priddle) standing on the roof of the car. The vibration and noise was incredible.  Love the nostalgic stuff, especially those 'altereds'.

Have now lived in Arizona for 16 years - best move we made.  Our one 'must go' each year is the California Hot Rod Reunion at Bakersfield (we are members of the 1320, so it is also a great get-together for the group).   Have seen Ron there a couple of times driving his nostalgic funny car - always a pleasure to see and talk to him. - Yvonne Broadribb

I was a drag boat racer in the 70s and Porky was always at Redbluff, Ca., races. I tell friends about him with his gas tank leg that he put his whiskey in then suck it up through a tube. Not one of them believe me. I do have a photo! - Scott Sagor

 

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I am close to Capps’ age so I miss a lot of those things as well. Mostly I miss a Bob Glidden vs. Lee Shepherd Pro Stock final at Indy! I miss the days when the bodies of the cars were so different you could tell what the brand was! I miss Saturday and Sundays watching American Sports Cavalcade with McClelland and Evans on TNN! - Michael Walker


Great recolections of a kid growing up in a drag race environment that realized
his DREAM! - Norm Porter

I liked the article and it would be neat if you could do different drivers and/or crew chiefs of present and past on a weekly basis. - Shane Hilleary

Wow, I remember Porky the Pirate from Fremont Raceway. My Dad was General Manager back in the 1970's, and Porky was at every big event. I was so scared of that guy, and he wasn't much taller than me (at the time, I was only about 6 or 7 years old). This brings back so many memories. I remember getting up at around 3 AM for the Golden Gate Nat's, because dad had his things to do there, and Mom ran the snack shack, so my sister and I had to be there as well. I remember sleeping in the back seat of Dad’s Charger right next to the tower as the Funny Cars were running. I remember Uncle Steve (Reyes - not my real uncle, but we spent so much time with him...) and dad spending countless hours looking over the prints from the previous weekends races. Wednesday Night grudge races, Jet cars knocking down the walls of the tunnel behind the burnout box. I remember. - Sean Bagnod

Ron … that was BITCHEN! I dream about Fremont at least once a month, my first pit pass was February 1975,(I was born January 1973) and I was introduced to my all-time hero "THE SNAKE" by my Dad’s VERY good friend "PORKY THE PIRATE". So Ron, Please keep on coming to the March Meet and other nostalgia races to hang out with the rest of us because … YOU GET IT! - Mark Smith

Ron Capps' Things I Miss column truly shows the character of this man. He is a classy human and a racer to the bone. I really want Ron and the NAPA team to win the championship this year as they are racing like there is no tomorrow. And Ron, I grew up in Fremont and I miss Fremont Drag Strip also. Be safe and win! - Neal Zook

Wow. I can relate to just about everything Ron talked about. To an old guy like me, it just shows where his heart is, which is in the right place. I think Ron made a permanent fan and I'm not a fan of too many people. - Smrtic


I'd like to see this be an ongoing feature. Who among us doesn't miss watching owners/drivers working on the motor on the bed. I witnessed this when Ron Rivero's Frantic Ford match raced Nelson Carter's Super Chief at Miami Hollywood Speedway. My first funny car race. Been hooked ever since.

I miss that the only place to put bolts was the Holiday Inn ice buckets. - Gary Harkins

What do I miss? Everything Capps mentions plus:

Going and seeing 32 and 64-car Top Fuel and Funny Car fields at OCIR back in the late 1960's and early 1970's … A/FX racing, Landy, Leal, Rhonda etc.

You can hear about it, talk about it and watch it, but you had to experience it! Too many cool people back then, lots of characters. Great rivalries. - T.J. Correll

Great words and memories from Ron Capps, nice to hear that some of the same things inspire us all to keep after our dreams. - Tony Dipietro

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